Improvement in process and apparatus for melting ores in their natural situation



O. M. T. du MOTAY 8: E. STERN. Process and Apparatus for Melting Ores intheir Natural Situation.

Nd. 213,789. Patented April 1879,

Unrrn'n SrnTEsPATnN'r O FICE,

'crrnlnn MARIE TESSIE DU 'MOTAY, on runs, FRANCE, Ann'nnwAnn,

- srnnn, or new roux, 1s. m.

mama m PBllCl-ZSS AND APPARATUS FOR mums ours in THElR carom. summon.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent n6. 218,789, dated April i,1819; application filed November 22, 187 8.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that we, Messrs. CYPBIEN MARIE Tnssrr. no MOTAY, chemist,of Boris, France, and EDWARDSTEBN, of the city and State of New York,United States of America,

have invented an Improved Process and Special Apparatus for Melting, andthus Eirtract' ing, Native Gopper, Metallic Ores, andBocks,

of which the following is a specification:

Our invention consists, first, of an improved process for melting oreson the spot; and, secend, in an improved apparatus for carrying out thisprocess. p I

The process consists in directing against ores in. their naturalsituation an-intenselyhot being arranged upon a carriage, so asto bereadily brought into contact or juxtaposition with the ores in theirnatural situation.

This process is particularly useful in the reni derin g of those massesof native copper which are too tough to be cut up by knives or blastedwith powder with any economy, and which have heretofore been valueless.

- By our process these and other similar ores can be melted on'the spot,thereby avoiding the necessity of cutting or breaking them up.

. The apparatus or compound blowpipe which we have invented has for itsobjectto extract metals fromfusible metalliferous rock by means offusion, such as native copper, sulphurets of copper and of iron, highersnlphurets of iron,

copper, and lead, sulphurets of lead, simple or complex, antimonialores, &c. This blow-pipe is composed of oneor several crowns or seriesof piping supplied with.

a mixture of gas and air blown in the direction-of the center of fusion;It is traversed by one or several central air, gas, and coal- 1 dustpipes, thus concentrating the whole of the caloric-power of the fireupon the zone re-'- quired to be melted, and preventing the can .loricfrom being dispersed, owing to its being stored in the rock to bemelted. Moreover,-in consequence of the injection of coaldust likewisein the direction of the-center of fusion, no oxidation can take place,either of the metals or or the sulphureted compounds to be extracted bymeans of fire. The coaldust may be substituted by tar, petroleum, orother hydrocarbons.

Figure lis a profile elevation, and Fig. 2a. front view, of a'portion ofthe blow-pipe; In order to ,explain the working of our-in vention, wehaveshown in the annexed dmwi-r 1' ings an apparatus cpeted and put upan:- 1

cording to our sy The apparatus is mounted upon a tmclr,

which allows its removal to the placeot' extraction and its movingforward progressively as the rock is attacked. Upon this truck is placedthe transverse wall B, which bears the piping of the compound blow-pipe.This wall or partition has also the'ohject of acting as a screen toprevent the heat engendered during the fusion from inconveniencing themen'who attend to the work.

The outer pipes, 0 6, are arranged in the form of a crown and attachedto the circle of gas and air pipes shown, which pipesif are suit ablyconnected with the gas and air supply, and are fastened to the wall B bymeans of stays. They consist each of a tube, 0, inclosing two concentrictubes, d and f, forming a blow-pipe. These pipes are inclined, so as toconverge their flames toward the center of fusion. They are suppliedwith air and gas by two annular conduits, D and F, communicating withtwo tubes, G and H. The conduitD -receives air 'fi'om a ventilator orblast, while F is supplied with combustible-gas from any reservoir orgasometer. V

Instead of a ,single crown, as shownin the drawings, the apparatus maypossess several concentric crowns of piping.

The ventilator and the gas-reservoir are borne'by the special truck withthe stationary or other engine which serves to actuate the Ventilator. 7

- Midway in this crown of blow-pipesis placed the central pipe, I,consisting of a wide conical tube, the narrow end of which facesthe rockto be melted. Its wide end is supplied with air and with the combustibleused. The air is injected'by the tube J. The combustiside.

ble, which it will suppose to be coal-dust, is inclosed in a.funnel',K.arranged above the l tube, and" thebottom of which consists of aslide-valve, L, which is worked from the out- The blow-pipe thusconstructed works in the manner stated above. The outer piping directtheir flames toward the place in the rock requiring to be melted, wherethe flames meet with the air and the c'oahdus't injected by the centraltube. In this mode suflicient heat, is

' obtained for melting the metallic ore, while at the same time the'coal furnishes an element which prevents the molten metal from oxidizwedo not claim either otjthe'se inventions. I We claim as our invention 1.The process of mining and reducing copper in its natural sitnation,whichconsistsin directing against said copper in its natural situationareducing-flame, thereby melting and reducing said copper, and renderingit capable of removal,substantially as described.

2,. The process of mining and reducing ore is its natural situation,which consists in melting and reducing such ore by a snfliciently hotflame and of simultaneously bringing into contact with such melted ore asuflicient supply got gas rich in carbon, or of coal-dust, for thepurpose of preventing the oxidation of the metal when in a state offusion, as set forth.

3. 'The combination of a ring of compound blow-pipes surrounding acentral blow-pipe,

said blow-pipes for the purpose of enabling the movement and operationof the flame from said blow pi'p'es against the copper or other ores intheir natural situations, .and apparatus forreceiving the ore whenmelted, substantially as described.

other ore in its naturalv sitnation,;a crown or circular series .ofblow-pipes surrounding a, central pipe, thereby prodncinga circular orannulus of flame surrounding for the purpose of melting the .of thecentral flame, and at the same time pre-; venting too. great heat ofsaid flame, substantially as described."

' In'testimony. whereof we have signed'onr names to this specificationbefore two subscribing witnesse's. r a G. M.- TESSIE DU MOTAY. I E.STERN. f Witnesses: Rom. M. HOOPER,

and a movable carriage or truck supporting 4. In an apparatus formelting copper or radiationor escape of the

